Energy Future in Indien
Tuesday, 10. October 2006 | 10:30 Uhr
Speaker
Organisation
Reporting
Zehra Ali and Mudit Narain took India as an example to illustrate the challenges for the continent of Asia. While India may expect a growth of 8.9 percent in gross domestic product (GDP) for 2006, 36 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. In the year 2000, 35 percent of the total population, or 90 percent in rural areas, had no access to electricity. Most of the energy is consumed by industry. Sixty percent of subsidized kerosene is used for lighting. Biomass is used in 90 percent of rural households. As a result, 2.5 million people every year suffer from burns. Air pollution is acute, global warming is an issue. In 2005, the level of oil consumption was ten times lower than in the USA, and the level of CO2 emissions was six times less. The objectives are to reduce both oil consumption and emissions. Possible options include technology transfer, efficiency, renewable energy and also taxation on the principle of “polluter pays”. Research, renewables, suitable technology, regulatory supervision and cheap energy for the poor are crucial
